In an ambitious project, the Bangladesh Government is building infrastructure for transmitting power that will be produced at the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant. The project will be funded through with the Indian third Line of Credit (LoC).
“The Planning Commission has already considered a draft project to this end and it is awaiting approval of ECNEC (Executive Committee of the National Economic Council,” a senior Planning Commission official told BSS.
The Power Grid Company of Bangladesh Limited (PGCB) under the Power Division will implement the project at an estimated cost of Taka 10,981.75 crore (USD 13.23 billion) by 2023, he said.
The Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission (BAEC) and the Russian Rosatom had signed a deal on December 25, 2015 for USD 12.65 billion to construct the country’s first nuclear power plant in Rooppur.
Out of the two units of the plant, the first unit having capacity of 1200 MW is expected to come into operation by October 2022 while the second unit is expected to come into operation by 2023.
“As a result, the project has been considered and will be placed before ECNEC meeting to develop necessary power transmission infrastructure for evacuating power to be produced from the nuke power plant,” he added. Of the total project cost of Taka 10,981.75 crore, the government will provide Taka 1,527.64 crore (USD 193 million), the PGCB will provide Taka 1,235.07 crore (USD 156 million) while the rest of Taka 8,219.04 crore (USD 1.04 billion) will come from the Indian third LoC.
Another official at the Power Division said the project will be implemented at some 37 upazilas under 13 districts in three divisions.
The main project operations include erection of 609 kilometer 400 KV double circuit transmission line, construction of some 60 kilometer 230 KV Rooppur-Baghabari double circuit transmission line and some 12 bay extensions.
The PGCB has already conducted a feasibility study for the project and based on the findings of that study, this project has been drafted.
